Jump starting a Ford Fiesta/Focus

[Henryford]

Just a heads up for those owning a Ford Fiesta/Focus with an auto box. My 6 year old Fiesta got a flat battery so i got it jump started. That started the engine OK but fried or damaged my TCM (Transmission Control Module). The box wouldn't up shift and i had loads of warning lights come on. Luckily i think the TCM is still covered by a warranty but still a PITA and will cost me 1200 baht to get it fitted. Not sure what you are supposed to do if your battery fails away from a battery shop.

Edited August 15, 2021 by Henryford

[KannikaP]

Always carry a pair of jump leads with you, and hope to stop a kind driver. Or, get first class insurance with roadside assistance included.

[KannikaP]

8 minutes ago, Henryford said:

Luckily i think the TCM is still covered by a warranty

After SIX YEARS?

[Ralf001]

1 minute ago, KannikaP said:

After SIX YEARS?

10 year warranty ?

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/945071-ford-thailand-agrees-to-buy-back-faulty-cars-from-customers/

[pseudorabies]

Maybe a bad regulator-rectifier or malfunction caused a voltage spike?  More about that here -

 

https://ricksfreeautorepairadvice.com/can-a-jump-start-damage-computers/

 

This was news to me but makes sense.

[Henryford]

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

Always carry a pair of jump leads with you, and hope to stop a kind driver. Or, get first class insurance with roadside assistance included.

Thanks i had the jump leads, just don't want my TCM fried every time i use it.

[KannikaP]

40 minutes ago, Henryford said:

Thanks i had the jump leads, just don't want my TCM fried every time i use it.

Sorry I didn't understand. I was under the impression in your OP that by jump start you meant pushing it, which I know is impossible in an auto.

By using jump leads from one battery to another it should not cause any frying or damage to your vehicle, how would roadside assistance do it?

Edited August 15, 2021 by KannikaP

[Daffy D]

I don't get this!

 

By "jumping" another battery onto yours you are just doing the equivalent of adding one bigger battery, never heard of a problem with that.

 

Possibly having the donor car engine running at the time of "Jumping" might affect the electrics of both cars.

 

Perhaps a more experienced auto electrician can jump in on this.

 

 

 

 

 

[Henryford]

13 minutes ago, Daffy D said:

I don't get this!

 

By "jumping" another battery onto yours you are just doing the equivalent of adding one bigger battery, never heard of a problem with that.

 

Possibly having the donor car engine running at the time of "Jumping" might affect the electrics of both cars.

 

Perhaps a more experienced auto electrician can jump in on this.

 

 

 

 

 

Yes i didn't expect a problem either from a simple jump. But the transmission has been faultless for 6  years so it must have been that that caused the issue.

[Daffy D]

3 minutes ago, Henryford said:

Yes i didn't expect a problem either from a simple jump. But the transmission has been faultless for 6  years so it must have been that that caused the issue.

Again I don't understand how the transmission could cause a problem, presumably it was in neutral or park?

 

Bump starting is to get a car rolling then engage a gear to turn the engine to start. This is not possible with an automatic.

 

Any auto electricians out there? 

[steve187]

maybe the tcm failing caused the flat battery, i would think thats as likely as the jump start causing the tcm to fail

[lodstewart]

Maybe  the battery was so low that the BSI program was lost. therefore it had to be reset, a simple procedure.

which you need to carry out before starting with the jump battery connected. In other words, theres nothing wrong with the transmission switching, just the BSI reset.

[Ralf001]

Goggle search "Fiesta TCM issue after flat battery"...... and it seems to be a fairly common issue.

 

[Daffy D]

28 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Goggle search "Fiesta TCM issue after flat battery"...... and it seems to be a fairly common issue.

 

Interesting link. 

 

Didn't have all that fancy technological stuff in my day 

 

 

 

[Ralf001]

10 minutes ago, Daffy D said:

Interesting link. 

 

Didn't have all that fancy technological stuff in my day 

 

 

 

Its been around for a while, I apologize for assuming people knew of it.

 

Clicky clicky here.

 

[Kwasaki]

6 hours ago, Henryford said:

Not sure what you are supposed to do if your battery fails away from a battery shop.

Sounds to me some cars like your one needs the ICM,  ECU computer diagnosis check done, that why when changing batteries on some cars you need to keep power from a battery going into the ECU,  our Yaris would right it's self sometimes but not always. 

[poyai111]

19 hours ago, Daffy D said:

Again I don't understand how the transmission could cause a problem, presumably it was in neutral or park?

 

Bump starting is to get a car rolling then engage a gear to turn the engine to start. This is not possible with an automatic.

 

Any auto electricians out there? 

It is possible to push start (bump start?) but not advisable and only in an extreme emergency. The mule ( in N) has to be pushed by another vehicle until a speed of around 40kmh has been reached and then D must be snatched and hope that the transmission stays intact. Only in an extreme emergency. Have done this on one occasion about 50 years ago and achieved success amid cacophonous complaints from transmission.

 

 

[Henryford]

Thanks Ralf, looks like a common problem. Bizarre though that getting a jump start, or even changing the battery, can wreck the transmission.

[LukKrueng]

23 hours ago, Henryford said:

The box wouldn't up shift and i had loads of warning lights come on

I owned a 2012 focus. Battery died at the car wash. Jump started it and put it in gear - nothing happened. Called Ford garage and they said if battery is too weak nothing works properly and I should run the engine idle for about 20 minutes. After that I rushed to the garage to replace the battery and all was fine. 

These cars use so much battery power that if you only take short trips the battery die very fast

[Almer]

On 8/15/2021 at 9:26 AM, KannikaP said:

After SIX YEARS?

After 6 years and you fried it

[Almer]

1 hour ago, poyai111 said:

It is possible to push start (bump start?) but not advisable and only in an extreme emergency. The mule ( in N) has to be pushed by another vehicle until a speed of around 40kmh has been reached and then D must be snatched and hope that the transmission stays intact. Only in an extreme emergency. Have done this on one occasion about 50 years ago and achieved success amid cacophonous complaints from transmission.

 

 

Ouch, i can visualise many broken pieces on the road

[canthai55]

1 hour ago, poyai111 said:

 Have done this on one occasion about 50 years ago and achieved success amid cacophonous complaints from transmission.

That vintage would be a torque converter auto - totally different from a DCT

[Almer]

Electrics do funny things, on  my 2017  Navara the fuel flap stopped working, i could here a relay clicking but hid away and visions of 1/2 the dash out, also investigating the solenoid at the flap end highlighted the removal of the internal wheel arch (sh!t shield), as the car was about to go to have a minor bump repaired i thought best to leave it until it came home, on getting the car back the whoopee the  flap was working, i can only guess they disconnected the battery to do the repair which reset whatever.

[brianthainess]

1 hour ago, poyai111 said:

It is possible to push start (bump start?) but not advisable and only in an extreme emergency. The mule ( in N) has to be pushed by another vehicle until a speed of around 40kmh has been reached and then D must be snatched and hope that the transmission stays intact. Only in an extreme emergency. Have done this on one occasion about 50 years ago and achieved success amid cacophonous complaints from transmission.

 

 

Never heard of this being possible, but bare in mind most auto transmissions now are not the simple torque converter type which was quite simple to replace, but now with these dam CVT transmissions with steel belts inside its a whole new ball game and an expensive extensive repair. As for jump starting a flat battery, one should always just hook up and not try to start until the 'flat battery' has charged somewhat from the other car, but better still change over the battery from the good car, start, then swap the battery's while the engine is still running IMHO. And while i'm at it always disconnect battery if any electric welding is done.

[chilly07]

Never understood Thais obsession with auto cars. Except with their standard of driving it's one less thing to worry about. I much prefer manual gears as you have greater control especially in slippery conditions and you can always bump start. My wife's fiesta has been jump started far too many times and there hasn't been a problem. We now have a fast charger and a gel battery which seems to solve most problems. Even works with my 3l DMax which due to Wuflu stands about discharging it's battery all the time.

[Nojohndoe]

For anyone reading this there is an important lesson to be learned.

Always jump start by connecting the negative jumper cable lead to somewhere on the engine block...never to the negative terminal on the battery ! The ECU modules in modern vehicles can get very touchy feely otherwise because of a sensor that is part of the battery charge regulator and connecting the negative to the battery can give voltage spike.

 

[jomtienisgood]

23 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

Its been around for a while, I apologize for assuming people knew of it.

 

Clicky clicky here.

 

Well no, we don't all own a Ford Fiesta. 55555

[Ralf001]

58 minutes ago, jomtienisgood said:

Well no, we don't all own a Ford Fiesta. 55555

I'd be surprised if the requirement to use google was being a Fiesta owner...... but hey its crazy times at the moment so anything is possible I guess.

 

Give duck duck a go instead !!

 

https://duckduckgo.com/

Edited August 16, 2021 by Ralf001

[natway09]

Make sure you google "jump starting & learn how to do it properly.

The positive goes on last with everything off on your car after, must come off first

[Kwasaki]

6 minutes ago, natway09 said:

Make sure you google "jump starting & learn how to do it properly.

The positive goes on last with everything off on your car after, must come off first

Why don't they google of how to check the life of their battery or buy a Toyota or Honda. ????